


From the Tapes of Moira MacTaggert

by Duck_Life



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Found Footage, Gaslighting, Gen, Hypocrisy, Possession, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 22:41:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19327582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: [From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Recorded on a videocassette labeled: CHARLES XAVIER’S NOTES: IMPORTANT. Video restored by Henry McCoy.]This is Moira MacTaggert, on June 14th, nineteen— oh, who cares what day it is? This isn’t meant to be a project tape… Listen, Moira, you’re upset now, but you know this man… know you’ll listen to him, forgive him what he’s done as time passes… but you need  to remember what a total and utter bastard Charles Xavier really is.He’s doing it again. He came to me for help, to save his X-Men when they went missing and I… and God help me, I gave him my own children. Just children. Bloody children… and he got them all killed.





	From the Tapes of Moira MacTaggert

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled:  ~~ KEVIN ~~ MUTANT X]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert. The date is… is… Lord, I don’t know.  _

_ No matter what I do, I can’t find a way to keep… Mutant X… stable. Mutation is a **gift**. I’ve seen enough from Charley’s X-Men to know that. And I tried so hard to help my boy use his mutation safely, to control it… but he can’t. He just can’t.  _

_ I mean, some days it feels like he’s mockin’ me.  _

_ Lord help me, I’ve run every test and there’s nothin’ left for me to do. I have elected to contain Ke— Mutant X for the foreseeable future. I’ve taken measures to keep the subject contained, for everyone else’s safety, for… for his own. Vanadium steel walls and energy fields were used to… to… Oh, God.  _

_ … Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.  _

 

[From Muir-MacTaggert Research & Development. Videocassette labeled: PETRA]

_ This is Dr. Moira MacTaggert on July 7th, 1973. Charley and I have been keeping our ears open for newly manifested mutants and we just found one. Poor girl jumps at the slightest  _ **_sound_ ** _ … We dug her out of a holding pen after she got caught using her abilities to make diamonds out of coal. **Miraculous** talent. I imagine it would really do a number on the diamond industry, of course. Maybe one day she’ll grow up and take down De Beers. _

_ For now, I’ve decided to take her in. She’s not ready to be on the X-Men, and she’s got nowhere else to go. I’m taking her back to Muir Isle with me, and maybe I can help her learn to control her abilities.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: A. MUÑOZ]

_ Moira MacTaggert here on August 4th, 1973. I’ve taken on a new foster mutant. He goes by the codename Darwin for his uncanny ability to change based on his situation. If he encounters fire, he becomes fireproof. If he goes underwater, he grows gills. _

_ I’ve ne’er seen anything like him. Darwin’s mutation responds to any stimulus it receives. If he jumped from a high enough cliffside, he might sprout wings like the Angel. If he were trapped in a treetop, perhaps he’d develop feet like Beast’s or maybe a prehensile tail. The boy is a living, breathing example of survival of the fittest.  _

_ As for Darwin himself, he and Petra seem to get on well. It’s been good for Petra to have someone her own age. The two of them train together to learn to control their powers, but they also eat and play together.  _

_ I was always wary of the way Charley cared for his X-Men… if you can call it caring. They trained all the time, fought androids and robots in that Danger Room of theirs. They weren’t just learning to live with their mutations, they were learning to use them to **fight**. To kill, even.  _

_ Darwin and Petra, they’re something of a second chance. I think I can show Charley that turning kids into costumed superheroes isn’t the only way to protect them.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: S. CHAN]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert on December 22nd, 1973. My newest young charge, Suzanne, called “Sway” for her extraordinary time-warping abilities, is finally starting to settle in. The poor wee thing was nervous as all get-out when I took her in, but she’s been making a lot of progress since then.  _

_ Her powers are  _ **_fascinating_ ** _. She can replay events and even stop time for a few moments. I’ve been thinking about asking her to be my lab assistant for a day, see how her powers affect different chemical reactions. I hope it’ll be fun for her.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: VULCAN]

_ This is Dr. MacTaggert. The date is February 19th, 1974. A new mutant has joined my little pack of wayward kids. His name is Gabriel, and he’s certainly an interesting case. From what I can tell, his mutation manifests as energy absorption, manipulation and projection.  _

_ He’s a troubled lad. It’s obvious that he’s scared to lose control of his powers, as excited as he is to  _ **_have_ ** _ them. I think being around a group of other kids his age will do him good. I also think the more he can control his powers, the better. _

_ Charley thinks he’s cut out to be an X-Man one day. Of course, this has gone straight to Gabriel’s head. _

_ I’m wondering if I should invite Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Polaris, Havok and Angel to Muir Island one of these days. I think it could benefit the children to see the X-Men for themselves, to learn how dangerous their jobs are. I’m not certain this amount of hero worship is healthy. It would also be good for Gabriel to meet Slim Summers in particular.  _

_ Charley won’t come right out and say it, but I suspect he believes the two might be related. I’m bringing Gabriel on a trip to the States soon so Charles can find out for sure.  _

  
  


[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Recorded on a videocassette labeled: CHARLES XAVIER’S NOTES: IMPORTANT. Video restored by Henry McCoy.]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert, on June 14th, nineteen— oh, who  _ **_cares_ ** _ what day it is? This isn’t meant to be a  _ **_project tape_ ** _ … Listen, Moira, you’re upset now, but you  _ **_know_ ** _ this man… know you’ll  _ **_listen_ ** _ to him,  _ **_forgive_ ** _ him what he’s done as time passes… but you  _ **_need_ ** _  to remember what a total and utter bastard Charles Xavier really is. _

_ He’s doing it again. He came to me for help, to save his  _ **_X-Men_ ** _ when they went  _ **_missing_ ** _ and I… and God help me, I gave him my own children. Just children. Bloody children… and he got them all  _ **_killed_ ** _.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: E. LEHNSHERR]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert. The date is April 25th, 1976. I’ve been caring for the mutant Magneto, currently de-aged down to a toddler. The situation is extremely  _ **_unprecedented_ ** _ … Erik has been given a second shot at life.  _

_ And I believe, with a small adjustment to his genetic makeup, I can make sure that he makes that second shot count.  _

_ For years, I watched Charley  _ **_agonize_ ** _ over how he could have lost Erik so completely. Now I may have my answer. I’ve found what could be an instability in the bairn’s central nervous system. Is this what ultimately led to Charley’s best friend becoming the mutant master of magnetism? The leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants? _

_ I believe that if I modify his genetic matrix enough to remove the instability, this… Erik 2.0, I suppose, can avoid the possibility of chemical imbalance in his brain. He can lead a normal life, do good, be the man that Charley was so close to all those years ago.  _

_ I can help him. This would be for his own good. For the good of  _ **_humanity_ ** _ , really.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Video recording labeled: J. MADROX]

_ This is Dr. MacTaggert on May 14th, 1977. Charley’s brought me a new one. His name is Jamie Madrox and he has perhaps the most  _ **_peculiar_ ** _ mutation I’ve ever seen. He makes copies of himself, clones… or “ _ **_dupes_ ** _ ” as he calls them. Jamie’s “dupes” are genetically identical to the prime, as far as I can tell.  _

_ Of note is the fact that his mutation manifested at birth. Apparently, the doctor slapped his bum and one baby turned into two. First mutant I’ve encountered whose mutation didn’t onset at puberty, but birth. It’s  _ **_fascinating._ **

_ Charles didn’t deem him fit for his X-Men. Or maybe not…  _ **_useful_ ** _ enough. I doubt he’d be happy running around fighting Eric the Red and Moses Magnum or whoe’er it is this week. So far, Jamie’s been very helpful in the lab. He’s a sweet boy.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: K. MacTAGGERT]

_ … This is Moira MacTaggert. Oh,  _ **_God_ ** _.  _

_ This is Moira MacTaggert. The date is September 14th, 1979. Mutant X has been terminated. Proteus is dead. God forgive me.  _

  
  
  


[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: X. MANH]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert. The date is January 11th, 1982. The Fantastic Four have encountered a mutant calling herself Karma. According to Dr. Richards, she possesses the ability to… well, to  _ **_possess_ ** _ people.  _

_ I can’t help but think of… of my son. Of Kevin. He also had the ability to possess people… only, Kevin saw fit to use his ability without regard for the people— the  _ **_host bodies_ ** _ — he paraded around in. Judging from Reed’s letter, Karma is different. She seems to care immensely about doing the right thing and actively  _ **_chooses_ ** _ not to use her powers for evil. _

_ The lass needs to be in an environment where she can learn to use her powers for good. She needs structure and stability.  _

_ She needs  _ **_Charles_ ** _. _

_ Charley and I have been having a go of it these last few weeks, admittedly. With the X-Men missing-presumed-dead, he’s been wallowing in self-pity. But there are people who need him. Mutantkind needs him.  _ **_Karma_ ** _ needs him.  _

  
  


[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: R. SINCLAIR]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert, on March 7th, 1982. I’ve just taken custody of a newly manifested mutant. The girl’s name is Rahne Sinclair, and I found the poor thing while she was fleeing an angry mob. Reverend Craig and his band of hypocrites.  _

_ Apparently, Rahne was raised in the church, until just recently when she came of age and her mutation manifested. She has the ability to transform into a wolf while maintaining her intellect and decision-making skills. She also appears to be able to maintain a transitional form between girl and wolf. _

_ Unfortunately, Rahne’s been listening to that drivel from her church. She thinks herself a  _ **_monster_ ** _ , granted arcane powers by Satan himself. I wish I could convince her that her abilities are a gift, that they are no more evil than her abilities to sing or to run.  _

_ Somehow, I know that the best place for Rahne is with Charles Xavier.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: CHARLES XAVIER - PERSONAL]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert. The date is June 27th, 1982. I fear I’ve made a horrible mistake.  _

_ Charles Xavier took Rahney away and the worst part is that I  _ **_told_ ** _ him to. I don’t know why everything makes so much sense when I’m sitting in a room with him, watching him wracked with guilt.  _ **_I_ ** _ pushed him to take Karma in, even threatened to point her toward Erik or Emma Frost.  _ **_I_ ** _ brought Rahne to him. It’s all on me.  _

_ For as much as Charles has played me, I’ve played him right back. And for the life of me I don’t know why.  _

_ I know sweet Rahne is going to die. Just like Suzanne, Petra, Armando, Gabe… He’s going to get her killed and I’m here, helpless.  _

_ God help me.  _

_ These New Mutants of his, they’re all going to die. I just know it. And it’s all my fault.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: D. HALLER]

_ This is Dr. Moira MacTaggert on March 2nd, 1985. I’ve just met a remarkable young lad named David Haller. His mother, Gabrielle, brought him to Muir Isle because she hopes that I might be able to help him with the trauma he’s endured, specifically how that trauma has informed his mutant powers.  _

_ David is a kind, well-mannered boy for the most part. He occasionally has tantrums and brief bouts of… well, of not seeming like himself. Gabrielle says he has autism but I’m afraid I disagree. He exhibits few signs of autism and more of PTSD. I also suspect he has developed secondary personalities to cope with what happened to him in Paris.  _

_ Gabrielle doesn’t want Charley finding out about the boy. I don’t blame her. I believe Charles’ influence on David could only do him harm.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: L. DANE]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert. The date is November 4th, 1989. Sean’s just come back from rescuing Lorna Dane from a shipwreck. Evidently, the sailors had all experienced some sort of psychosis and begun attacking each other.  _ **_Their weak minds were easy to break._ ** _ Lorna tells me her magnetic powers were stolen by a woman in the Savage Land claiming to be her sister. _

_ Just based on my preliminary findings, I think that would have to be true. The truly odd thing is that Lorna’s been absorbing energy seemingly nonstop. She’s grown in size and stature. She’s immensely strong and invulnerable, and I haven’t the faintest idea  _ **_why_ ** _.  _

_ I’ll keep a close eye on her during her stay here on Muir Isle.  _ **_I’ll keep a close eye on them all._ **

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette unlabeled.]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert.  _

_ Though I’m not sure how long that will be true.  _

_ He’s here, on Muir Isle. He’s playing us all like puppets and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. I’m only in control enough now to leave a warning— HAHAHAHAAHA.  _

_ Lord… he got to Davey already, and I’ve been fighting but I know Farouk’s… HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA.  _

_ I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Sean, my love, if you find this, if I can transmit this message to New York… You cannot trust us. You can’t trust anybody on Muir Isle. You can’t… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA.  _ **_This isle belongs to me. These host bodies belong to me. Now and forever._ **

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: A. FAROUK]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert. Finally back in my right mind, thank God.  _

_ The entity known as Amahl Farouk… or the  _ **_Shadow King_ ** _ , if you want to make him sound like a bloody ghost story, possessed several of the residents of Muir Isle, including myself. Fortunately, everything’s alright now.  _

_ Farouk is a psychic mutant existing on the astral plane. He needs a host body. It pains me how much he reminds me of my son. Is this what Kevin might have ultimately become? Is this honestly who he  _ **_was_ ** _? The further I get from his… death… the fuzzier he becomes. Was he truly evil, or just a scared boy? _

_ The scariest thing about the Shadow King is that it wasn’t like the couple of times Karma possessed me. It wasn’t total. I wasn’t in the dark. I remember what I did. I remember being myself, sometimes. _

_ Sometimes it was like I was myself but on a really bad day. Myself but… different. Darker. Sometimes I wasn’t myself at all but I  _ **_felt_ ** _ like I was.  _

_ Even now, when everything is okay, I find myself jumping at shadows. I look at Davey and wonder how much I can trust him. I feel the same way when I look at Charles.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Videocassette labeled: R. SINCLAIR - GENOSHAN MUTATE MODIFICATION]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert and the date is October 19th, 1991. My daughter is… was… Those bloody monsters brainwashed her and made her think she wasn’t a  _ **_person_ ** _.  _

_ Her genetic structure is… well, it’s been changed. Modified against her will. It  _ **_sickens_ ** _ me that someone would do something like that to an innocent child. Tinkered with her DNA like they could make her into whatever they wanted.  _

_ She’s mostly herself, now, but there are… vestiges. She’s utterly committed to Havok in a way that makes my skin crawl. Those bastards made her subservient to him, made her his  _ **_slave_ ** _ , and from what I can tell, that’s the bit that’s hardest for her to shake.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Digital video disc labeled: LEGACY VIRUS]

_ This is Dr. Moira MacTaggert on December 25th, 1993. Spent my Christmas in the lab. This new threat to mutantkind, the Legacy Virus, is truly a piece of work. It exacerbates and exaggerates mutant abilities to the point of extreme distress for the infected individual. _

_ We’ve determined so far that the infection manifests first as purple boils appearing across the body. The mutant’s powers then go completely out of control and they ultimately die. Charley and I, and Dr. McCoy, we’ve all been collaborating desperately to find a cure.  _

_ The Legacy Virus seems highly contagious, but it only affects mutants from what I can tell. Humans are immune.  _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Digital video disc labeled: LV]

_ This is Moira MacTaggert. August 7th, 1994. _

_ I was wrong. _

_ Humans are not immune to the Legacy Virus.  _

_ Uhm. The infection has… in this particular case, the infection may be an anomaly or it may be a sign that the virus itself has, well, mutated. If any human might be susceptible now… Charles and I need to run more tests. _

 

[From the Muir Isle Mutant Research Center. Digital video disc labeled: FOR RAHNE]

_ Hello, poppet.  _

_ If you’re watching this, then it means I couldn’t cure the Legacy Virus fast enough and… and it took me. I am so sorry… to you, dear, and to every mutant who continues to suffer because I couldn’t find the cure.  _

_ Ach. I’ve done enough weeping.  _

_ Sweet girl, I want you to know that I love you so much. I am so very, very proud of you. Nothing you could ever do would change that, child. I love you with all my heart, forever and ever. Go do magnificent things. Be brave. Be silly. Fall in love. Fall out of love. Try again.  _

_ Goodbye, luv.  _

  
  
  


[Video recorded on a smartphone found in an Ullapool hotel room booked under the name Ann Kinross. File name: VID_001_07262019]

_ My name is… my name is Moira MacTaggert. And I distinctly remember dying, so, well, there you go.  _

_ My name is Moira MacTaggert. I was Charles Xavier's research partner and… more... for several years. I've spent the rest of my life trying to atone for that. _

_ See, when I was… brought back, or whatever's happened, I remembered  _ **_everything_ ** .  _ Everything he wiped away. It's all here in my head now. And I know without a shadow of doubt that Charles Xavier cannot be allowed to live.  _

_ Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. I believe my… resurrection, for lack of a better word, is a reaction to Charles's own miraculous return to life. That makes him my responsibility.  _

_ Looking back, I can see the places where I went wrong. Things I did, things Charles convinced me to do, things I did without Charles’ involvement whatsoever. I s’pose coming back to life gives you a fresh perspective on all of that.  _

_ I hold no illusions about who and what I am. I’ve done things in the name of science, in the name of the greater good, that make me sick to think about.   _

_ I never wanted to be a killer. But children are dead because of me. Because of Charles. I loved Charles, and I left Charles, and I lied to him. We have done terrible things to each other and to everyone around us.  _

_ I’m ending the cycle before it can start again.  _

_ If you’re watching this recording, either I was successful in taking out Charles, or the X-Men stopped me. Either way, I don’t see a scenario where I survive.  _

_ I’m alright with that.  _


End file.
